New partnership aims to help Zambia’s lone Christian university take flight

You know Baylor University: the oldest continually operating university in Texas and the largest Baptist university in the world, with a history dating back to 1845 and approximately 15,000 students.

Almost 9,000 miles away — across the Atlantic, across the equator, on the other side of the world — sits Northrise University. Founded in 2004 with just 50 students, it is the lone Christian university in Zambia, a country of some 14 million people; today, the student body numbers about 600.

Earlier this year, Baylor announced that, thanks to a gift from Charles and Debra Stroupe, our university will be able to partner with Northrise to help the fledgling institution grow. The Stroupes’ gift will allow Baylor to work with Northrise in four specific ways: sending professors and students to Zambia to work alongside and with Northrise faculty and students; expanded research and business initiatives; summer internships for Baylor students at Northrise; and semester-long internships for Northrise students at Baylor.

Baylor will also be in position to help Northrise administrators handle the logistical questions that are bound to arise as the Zambian university expands its campus across a 640-acre tract donated by the government. The two universities already have a history of working together, from MBA student partnerships to library infrastructure support to a planned social work program at Northrise.

“God has blessed us greatly with the Baylor-Northrise partnership,” says Northrise President Moffat Zimba. “Baylor, its faculty and students will have an immeasurable impact on Northrise, our community and our nation as we empower the people of Zambia one student at a time. We are beyond grateful.”